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September 2005 - Stirling Energy Systems (SES) announced Wednesday a
contract with San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) to provide
between 300 and 900 MW of solar power, approximately 30 times more
solar power than is now being generated in the San Diego region.
The
contract represents the second record-breaking solar project signed by
the company in the past month, which may surpass the earlier contract
to become the world's largest solar installation.
Under this
contract, SDG&E will buy the electrical energy produced from this
plant from SES Solar Two LLC, an affiliate of Arizona-based Stirling
Energy Systems, Inc. SES and SDG&E have agreed to an initial
20-year contract to purchase all the output from a 300 MW solar power
plant, which consists of 12 000 Stirling solar dishes on approximately
three square miles in the Imperial Valley of Southern California.
SDG&E has options on two future phases that could add up to 600 MW
of additional renewable energy and capacity to SDG&E1s resource
mix. This contract is subject to approval by the California Public
Utilities Commission (CPUC).
"SDG&E has pledged to supply
20 per cent of its customers energy needs from renewable resources like
solar and wind by 2010," said Edwin A. Guiles, chairman and chief
executive officer of SDG&E. "With this purchase, SDG&E
continues to demonstrate its commitment to bring more renewable energy
to its customers."
Last year, the California Public
Utilities Commission approved SDG&E1s long-term resource plan,
which relies on a balanced mix of resources to meet the growing energy
needs of San Diego. That mix includes increased emphasis on energy
efficiency and more renewable energy resources, as well as additional
baseload generation plants and more transmission lines. All phases of
the Stirling projects will require additional transmission facilities
to be built to deliver the energy to SDG&E customers.
"This
large-scale application of SES technology will provide clean, renewable
solar energy to SDG&E customers," said Bruce Osborn, CEO of SES.
"We
believe this is a truly historic moment for the solar energy industry,
and we are pleased to be teaming with a progressive and innovative
company like SDG&E."
The
SES Stirling solar dish technology is the world1s most efficient device
for the conversion of solar energy to grid-delivered electricity,
nearly twice as efficient as any alternative solar technology.
SES
General Manager Robert Liden points out that "the output from these
solar dishes is a great fit for SDG&E1s customers because a large
percentage of the power is produced when it1s needed the most - during
the peak demand hours in the middle of the day."
The
SES dish technology converts thermal energy to electricity by using a
mirror array to focus the sun's rays on the receiver end of a Stirling
engine. The internal side of the receiver then heats hydrogen gas,
which expands. The pressure created by the expanding gas drives a
piston, crankshaft, and drive shaft assembly much like those found in
internal combustion engines but without igniting the gas. The drive
shaft is connected to a small electricity generator. The entire energy
conversion process takes place within a canister the size of an oil
barrel. The process requires no water and the engine is emission-free.
Early
last month, SES announced a contract with Southern California Edison
that will result in construction of a massive, 4500-acre solar
generating station in Southern California.
The
signed 20-year power purchase agreement, which is also subject to CPUC
approval, calls for development of a 500 MW solar project in the Mojave
Desert northeast of Los Angeles, with an option to expand the project
to 850 MW. The first 500 MW phase, consisting of a 20,000-dish array,
will be constructed during a four-year period.
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